Trying to hit the mark
With his contract deadline looming, Markkanen searches for his shooting touch
On the first possession of t heir preseason game Wednesday against the Thunder, the Bulls ran a play designed to get forward Lauri Markkanen a wide-open shot.
Markkanen had struggled shooting the ball and was fresh off a 1-for-10 performance, so coach Billy Donovan intended to boost his confidence.
And it worked … well, kind of. Markkanen utilized a Wendell Carter double screen and flew open behind the 3-point line. Coby White found him standing alone with space to shoot, and the Bulls executed the play as it’s intended — until Markkanen missed the shot.
“It’s my job to make that shot, though,” Markkanen said after practice Thursday. “We got a good look from there. This time it didn’t go in. We’ll see what happens next game.”
The Bulls finished the preseason Friday with a 105-103 victory over the Thunder in Oklahoma City, outscoring the Thunder 3413 in the fourth quarter. They open the regular season Wednesday against the Hawks at the United Center.
Although Markkanen is billed as a marksman, shots like that have not gone in often enough for him throughout his three seasons with the Bulls. He was selected at No. 7 in the 2017 draft and became one of the key pieces in the deal that sent Jimmy Butler to the Timberwolves in large part because of his size and shooting ability.
Markkanen is shooting 35.6% from beyond the arc with the Bulls, a solid but unspectacular number for a player whose production revolves around his ability to space the floor. Last season Markkanen’s 3point percentage dropped to 34.4% after posting nearly identical percentages (36.2% and 36.1%) in his first two seasons.
A few nagging injuries and a clunky offense can share partial blame for the
dip, but he has not eased those doubts with his performance through three exhibition games. Markkanen entered Friday shooting 5 of 19 (26.3%) from deep and just 30.3% from the field overall.
He scored 22 points Friday on 9-for-17 shooting — including 4 of 10 on 3pointers.
As Markkanen prepares to enter a crucial season in his career, one thing is becoming inescapable: The Bulls need him to shoot better.
“He’s taking the right s hots,” Donovan s ai d. “That’s probably an area he needs to continually improve upon. I think for Lauri maybe some of the injuries have dictated some of his shooting percentages over his career. I do think he’s a much, much better shooter than he has shown for us these first three preseason games.
“In fairness to him and the rest of the guys, they’ve had three competitive games in a long period of time. So once he gets his legs under him, I feel pretty good about him. But I like the shots he’s getting and the shots he’s taking. … Hopefully as his career unfolds and the older he gets, the more consistent he can get from behind the line.”
Markkanen is entering the final season of his contract and has until Monday’s deadline to work out an extension. At the start of training camp, Markkanen reiterated his interest in remaining with the Bulls while vice president Arturas Karnisovas said the team was working on reaching an extension.
With the deadline a few days away, however, no deal
has been completed.
“There’s been negotiations, but not much to tell you guys right now ,” Markkanen said. “It’s not putting any extra pressure on me. I feel confident going game by game.”
Although Donovan continued to express confidence in Markkanen, calling him an important part of the team’s future, the Bulls do not have to rush to lock him up long term. If the sides do not reach a deal before the deadline, Markkanen would become a restricted free agent in the summer, giving the Bulls the right to match any offer he receives. They could let him play out the season on an expiring contract and wait to see how much his production benefits from playing in a new system.
Markkanen has done his best to contribute to the team even when his shot is not falling. His rebounding numbers are strong and he’s attacking the basket more after taking issue with how stationary he felt in last season’s offense.
But the reality is Markkanen does not excel at many other areas and he’s most valuable to the Bulls when he’s hitting shots.
“I did want to encourage him to continue to be aggressive, because he’s taking the right shots,” Donovan said. “I feel good about the shots. He’s not forcing it. There are some he could probably shot fake a little bit, but for the most part he’s taking pretty good looks.
“He is 7 feet, he can shoot over a lot of people, so he’s just got to keep internally having that confidence that the next one is going to go down.”